TY - JOUR

T1 - Chemoenzymatic indican for light-driven denim dyeing

AU - Bidart, Gonzalo Nahuel

AU - Teze, David

AU - Jansen, Charlotte Uldahl

AU - Pasutto, Eleonora

AU - Putkaradze, Natalia

AU - Sesay, Anna Mamusu

AU - Fredslund, Folmer

AU - Lo Leggio, Leila

AU - Ögmundarson, Olafur

AU - Sukumara, Sumesh

AU - Qvortrup, Katrine

AU - Welner, Ditte Hededam

N1 - Funding Information: The authors thank Carlotta Chiesa, Carsten Dam-Hansen, Dennis Dan Corell, Andreas Worberg, Nemeh Bani Odeh, and Gossa Garedew Wordofa for CIEL instrument time and technical assistance. This work was funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation through grants NNF10CC1016517 (to the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability), NNF20CC0035580 (to the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability), NNF16OC0019088 (to D.H.W), and Carlsberg Foundation through grant CF18-0631 (to K.Q.). Funding Information: The authors thank Carlotta Chiesa, Carsten Dam-Hansen, Dennis Dan Corell, Andreas Worberg, Nemeh Bani Odeh, and Gossa Garedew Wordofa for CIEL instrument time and technical assistance. This work was funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation through grants NNF10CC1016517 (to the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability), NNF20CC0035580 (to the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability), NNF16OC0019088 (to D.H.W), and Carlsberg Foundation through grant CF18-0631 (to K.Q.). Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Blue denim, a billion-dollar industry, is currently dyed with indigo in an unsustainable process requiring harsh reducing and alkaline chemicals. Forming indigo directly in the yarn through indican (indoxyl-β-glucoside) is a promising alternative route with mild conditions. Indican eliminates the requirement for reducing agent while still ending as indigo, the only known molecule yielding the unique hue of blue denim. However, a bulk source of indican is missing. Here, we employ enzyme and process engineering guided by techno-economic analyses to develop an economically viable drop-in indican synthesis technology. Rational engineering of PtUGT1, a glycosyltransferase from the indigo plant, alleviated the severe substrate inactivation observed with the wildtype enzyme at the titers needed for bulk production. We further describe a mild, light-driven dyeing process. Finally, we conduct techno-economic, social sustainability, and comparative life-cycle assessments. These indicate that the presented technologies have the potential to significantly reduce environmental impacts from blue denim dyeing with only a modest cost increase.

AB - Blue denim, a billion-dollar industry, is currently dyed with indigo in an unsustainable process requiring harsh reducing and alkaline chemicals. Forming indigo directly in the yarn through indican (indoxyl-β-glucoside) is a promising alternative route with mild conditions. Indican eliminates the requirement for reducing agent while still ending as indigo, the only known molecule yielding the unique hue of blue denim. However, a bulk source of indican is missing. Here, we employ enzyme and process engineering guided by techno-economic analyses to develop an economically viable drop-in indican synthesis technology. Rational engineering of PtUGT1, a glycosyltransferase from the indigo plant, alleviated the severe substrate inactivation observed with the wildtype enzyme at the titers needed for bulk production. We further describe a mild, light-driven dyeing process. Finally, we conduct techno-economic, social sustainability, and comparative life-cycle assessments. These indicate that the presented technologies have the potential to significantly reduce environmental impacts from blue denim dyeing with only a modest cost increase.

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-024-45749-3

DO - 10.1038/s41467-024-45749-3

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 38413572

AN - SCOPUS:85186235473

VL - 15

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

SN - 2041-1723

IS - 1

M1 - 1489

ER -